1addicts Age Demographics

[ibeam81]

I was just curious about the age demographics in 1addicts, particularly since it seems that a younger demographic is a major target for the 1er.

No cheating now. :wink:

[tommy]

It's funny - all of these "gen X" coupes/hatches all seem to gear more old than the marketing suggests. The Mini, and I hear the Volvo C30 (the other car in contention for me vs. the 135) over in EU, have been bought by many more empty nesters than what the conventional wisdom would suggest. My guess is that at least on the 128 that that would be the case.

[ibeam81]

Originally Posted by tommy

It's funny - all of these "gen X" coupes/hatches all seem to gear more old than the marketing suggests. The Mini, and I hear the Volvo C30 (the other car in contention for me vs. the 135) over in EU, have been bought by many more empty nesters than what the conventional wisdom would suggest. My guess is that at least on the 128 that that would be the case.

Very true. I know a lot of "Boomers" that have bought a Mini.

[One&Only]

Originally Posted by ibeam81

Very true. I know a lot of "Boomers" that have bought a Mini.

I'm one a those...

How about a gender poll?:thumbup:

[Brookside]

Yeah, I just voted and I'm not surprised at all to see the age groups stacking up the way they are.
Trend seems to be empty-nester/boomers
and Gen-Y (not "X") as you guys have noted.
That should definitely please the marketing guys at BMW.
Clued-in boomers with bucks to spend and young people beginning to make their mark and influence taste.

Cool thread and a good idea.

[968PORSCHE]

I'd like to see some more data points. This car will probably appeal to a more affluent group than the mini, but it should cover a wide age group.

It would be interesting to see how the split is between the turbo and non turbo car.

[larryn]

yeah! old bastards UNITE! Nice to see a bunch of "bottom halfers" (even if I'm at the top of the bottom half). :wink:

[1POINT9]

Happy to be running mid pack here.. Just turned 37 in April and selling the Evo to get this instead because its time to grow up a little and I deserve some refinement..
Back to BMW! :headbang:

[968PORSCHE]

Wow, I used to live in Bucks County. I grew up in New Hope and learned how to drive there. What fantastic roads! California sucks in comparison. Having an Evo in PA would really be a treat, naturally a 1er will be better.

[1POINT9]

It has gotten so crowded here <Newtown> that its almost no fun.. It is beautiful here though with all the stone houses and covered bridges etc.. The real good roads are up past Allentown PA in the mountains.. Can't wait!

[968PORSCHE]

Yea, River road on the PA side starts getting fun as you go past Stockton, although if you get stuck behind someone it's no fun. I used to live on Phillips Mill road just outside of New Hope and because of the quarry trucks being so hard on the road they would re-pave it every other year with this soft smooth asphalt that the tar would just boil out of in the summer. Talk about sticky pavement.

Try some of the roads between Stockton and Solebury, good stuff and not well traveled. Oh yea there was a town called Carversville as well. I seem to remember a cool road from there down to the river. All good fun.

[Brookside]

Originally Posted by porschelover

I'd like to see some more data points. This car will probably appeal to a more affluent group than the mini, but it should cover a wide age group.

It would be interesting to see how the split is between the turbo and non turbo car.

b.o.t.
I agree...I sure don't think that the 128 will appeal mostly to the boomers and the 135 to younger buyers as someone else mentioned. I think it's more of a budget decision regardless of age.
Getting that more in focus would be helpful.

Also, just to clear some nomenclature up- generations are usually designated in 17-18 year spans - you'll find some differing year-markers but this is a rough guide.

1945 - 1963 Boomers

1964 - 1982 Generation X

1983 - 2001 Gen Y

[atr_hugo]

Originally Posted by Pocket_Rocket

. . .selling the Evo to get this instead because its time to grow up a little and I deserve some refinement..

Yeah but the Evo is a fun car! I got to drive one for a couple of days - actually went to a Porsche Club meet in one (talk about being looked down upon ; -) but that little thing runs!! Plus I wrapped my lunch up in foil and cooked it over the exhaust manifold on the way to the meeting. Manifold Destiny

[menotakoala]

Looks like I'm one of the four 20 and younger people. Well, will be turning 21 this year. And by the time I do get my 135i I will be 22.

[tommy]

Originally Posted by porschelover

Yea, River road on the PA side starts getting fun as you go past Stockton, although if you get stuck behind someone it's no fun. I used to live on Phillips Mill road just outside of New Hope and because of the quarry trucks being so hard on the road they would re-pave it every other year with this soft smooth asphalt that the tar would just boil out of in the summer. Talk about sticky pavement.

Makes me nostalgic - grew up in Doylestown, and used to run my parents' 4-speed Rabbit on River Road all the time - great road. :w00t:

Yep, I screwed up the generations; confused my x with my y. Hey, that's what happens when you go over 40 - it's all downhill!

[hector]

Originally Posted by Brookside

...


1945 - 1963 Boomers

1964 - 1982 Generation X

1983 - 2001 Gen Y

2002-? Gen Y Not

[MontegoTwinTurbo]

I too am one of the few sub, 20yr old class. Will be 19 when I take delivery of my 1er

[135i_]

I'm 20 now and will turn 21 right after I get my 135i.

I'd also like to add that I'll be buying it with my own money... don't want to come off as some spoiled punk.

[Y2A]

21 right now, hoping to get 135i when I graduate from college at 24:smile:

[Sperm]

Originally Posted by Pocket_Rocket

Happy to be running mid pack here.. Just turned 37 in April and selling the Evo to get this instead because its time to grow up a little and I deserve some refinement..
Back to BMW! :headbang:

Yeah, I have a WRX and I love it to death, but I'm finding it getting a little loud, stiff, etc. and I could use a little luxury. (Actually, the car stayed the same. It's me that's getting a little stiff. )

Originally Posted by hector

2002-? Gen Y Not

"Generation i" You can take that a couple different ways.

[krassanova]

Originally Posted by Brookside

Yeah, I just voted and I'm not surprised at all to see the age groups stacking up the way they are.
Trend seems to be empty-nester/boomers
and Gen-Y (not "X") as you guys have noted.
That should definitely please the marketing guys at BMW.
Clued-in boomers with bucks to spend and young people beginning to make their mark and influence taste.

Cool thread and a good idea.

The numbers must have shifted since you wrote this. Gen X has the lion's share of the vote. I'm not surprised.

This poll is representative of (1) early adopters that are (2) interested in the 1er (3) have found this site and then (4) found this thread. As a group, Gen Xers and Gen Yers are more tech savvy than the boomers, so there would be more of them on this site. There are very tech savvy boomers too, but they are a minority of their generation.

I don't the the appeal of this car can be determined by how old you are. With the MINI, the age-range was all over the place. People liked them for so many different reasons, for example: the gas mileage, the power to weight ratio, the fun factor, the looks, and the ability to configure each care to your exact specifications.

I think the 1er means different things to different people too. I think for a lot of people, this will be the first BMW they have ever owned. The pricing will be competitive with a high-end Accord or Acura, but will deliver a whole lot more. The MPG is excellent, the styling is great, the power on the 130 is awesome...it's really hard to find flaws with this car. Some will buy the 130 because it is economical, others will stretch their budget to get into a stripped 128. Anyway, I say all this just to make my point that this car was built to appeal to a wide array of consumers, yet many different segments can be targeted because of how well several components were engineered.

I think the common factor amongst all buyers is intelligence. I really think this is a smart person's BMW.

[Brookside]

Originally Posted by krassanova

The numbers must have shifted since you wrote this. Gen X has the lion's share of the vote. I'm not surprised.

This poll is representative of (1) early adopters that are (2) interested in the 1er (3) have found this site and then (4) found this thread. As a group, Gen Xers and Gen Yers are more tech savvy than the boomers, so there would be more of them on this site. There are very tech savvy boomers too, but they are a minority of their generation.

I don't the the appeal of this car can be determined by how old you are. With the MINI, the age-range was all over the place. People liked them for so many different reasons, for example: the gas mileage, the power to weight ratio, the fun factor, the looks, and the ability to configure each care to your exact specifications.

I think the 1er means different things to different people too. I think for a lot of people, this will be the first BMW they have ever owned. The pricing will be competitive with a high-end Accord or Acura, but will deliver a whole lot more. The MPG is excellent, the styling is great, the power on the 130 is awesome...it's really hard to find flaws with this car. Some will buy the 130 because it is economical, others will stretch their budget to get into a stripped 128. Anyway, I say all this just to make my point that this car was built to appeal to a wide array of consumers, yet many different segments can be targeted because of how well several components were engineered.

I think the common factor amongst all buyers is intelligence. I really think this is a smart person's BMW.

Yeah the #'s shifted quite a bit and now in alignment with what I'd thought it'd be... could change again but I doubt it.